The present invention relates generally to construction of eyewear, and more particularly to a structure using flexible lines, filaments or cords instead of conventional temples hingedly attached to each of the lenses.
It has previously been proposed to use flexible lines, filaments or cords to connect eyeglass lenses with earpieces in spectacles, and to provide means for adjusting the length of the filaments in order to properly position the eyeglass lenses relative to the wearer's eyes. For example such constructions are shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,609 to Donald Reese and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,549 to Donald Reese et al. In these patents the constructions for adjusting the effective length of the flexible filaments are located at the forward ends of the earpieces, and provide only slight ranges of adjustability of the filament lengths.
The present invention provides an earpiece assembly including an earwire of bendable material such as metallic wire housed in a tubular sleeve member of rubber or equivalent resilient material such as silicone tubing. Also received within each sleeve are the rear portions of a set of two filaments whose forward portions extend forwardly and divergently from the front end of the earpiece to openings formed in one of the lenses. The forward ends of the set of filaments are anchored to the lens close to the outer edge of the lens. Each lens is provided with a pair of openings spaced vertically by approximately 1 inch (25.4 mm), and each opening includes means forming a frusto-conical pocket, with the larger end of the pocket directed forwardly of the lens. This affords an anchoring seat for an enlarged front end of the filament and thereby minimizes the possibility of inadvertent disassembly of the filament from the lens. In each earpiece the rear portion of the earwire projects beyond the rear opening of the sleeve and forms a mandrel or arbor on which the rear lengths of a set of filaments are wound in fixing the effective lengths of the filaments after adjustment. The mandrel portion of the earwire may be provided with a series of notches or serrations to receive the filaments wound thereon. An end cap is attached to the ends of the filaments, and is pressed into frictional engagement with the end portion of the sleeve and the filaments wound on the mandrel.
Accordingly it is a principal object of this invention to disclose an improved eyeglass mounting using flexible filamentary lines in place of temples extending between the eyeglass lenses and the wearer's ears. Other objects of the invention are to provide such a construction including a pair of earpiece assemblies, each comprising a flexible sleeve of silicone or the like for housing an earwire and the rear portions of a set of filaments connected at their forward ends to a lens. A further object is to provide such an assembly in which the rearmost portion of the earwire has wound thereon the rearmost portions of a set of filaments, and the earpiece has a rear end cap frictionally mounted on the wound filaments and sleeve. Other objects will be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.